Though clarinetist Pete Fountain has long been a fixture on the New Orleans jazz scene, his greatest notoriety came from his 1957-1959 nationally televised appearances with the Lawrence Welk orchestra leading a small group... more &raquo playing traditional jazz. Fountain, a Benny Goodman disciple who plays the old standards with indefatigable fervor, is a fixture on Mardi Gras day in New Orleans, leading the early morning parade down St. Charles Avenue with his "Half Fast" marching club. As Fountain walks, he plays the numbers on this record that comprise his standard repertoire--"While We Danced at the Mardi Gras," "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans," "Basin Street Blues," "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans," "When the Saints Come Marching in March" and "St. Louis Blues." --John Swenson&laquo less

Synopsis

Amazon.com

Though clarinetist Pete Fountain has long been a fixture on the New Orleans jazz scene, his greatest notoriety came from his 1957-1959 nationally televised appearances with the Lawrence Welk orchestra leading a small group playing traditional jazz. Fountain, a Benny Goodman disciple who plays the old standards with indefatigable fervor, is a fixture on Mardi Gras day in New Orleans, leading the early morning parade down St. Charles Avenue with his "Half Fast" marching club. As Fountain walks, he plays the numbers on this record that comprise his standard repertoire--"While We Danced at the Mardi Gras," "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans," "Basin Street Blues," "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans," "When the Saints Come Marching in March" and "St. Louis Blues." --John Swenson

CD Reviews

King of the clarinet!

S. Morrison | Grove City, OH United States | 09/03/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You won't go wrong buying this CD! Pete's at his very best mixing jazz and dixieland in his unique style. This music will have you snapping your fingers, tapping your toes, and strutin' to the tunes. My favorite CD of Pete's."

THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL!

Alex Udvary | chicago, il United States | 01/25/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The only problem I have with Fountain and "the late and great" Al Hirt is they never made actual New Orleans jazz albums. And by that I mean they never played with the usual setup (A piano, trumpet\cornet, Trombone, Banjo\Guitar, Clarinet and so on) at least the albums I have by them. I still enjoy Fountain's albums though and think he is one of the best. My favorite tracks are "High Society",which is a very old New Orleans song played back in the day of Morton and maybe even before. This song has the traditional setup that I'm talking about. Pete's solo is nothing short of terrific. Then there's " Bye Bye Bill Bailey" which also is played with the traditional backup. For something differnt there's "China boy" the velocity the group plays at might not be or ever be matched. It really is "The Best of Pete Fountain"!"

The Best of Pete Fountain

joseanco | Santos - SP - BRAZIL | 12/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have several CDs performed by Pete Fountain, three of these autographed, but this album is my favorite. It's really the best. "Fascination Medley", "Stranger on the Shore" and "Over the Waves" are fantastic performances. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to find Pete's CDs in Brasil. I had never found them here. I think a few people know him here."

Hey! It's Pete,

amazson | diamondhead, ms United States | 01/01/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had the lp for so long until my [$$$] stylus went kaput but I love the vinyl version over the cd. This cd has some great ambience, a nice drum solo(I just love his back-up on this disk) and the disk was produced well. The price is incredible and you can't miss with this high-class, marching-band ensemble. I don't like medleys which is why I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars.This is a great Sunday morning- brunch time listen.You can crank this up too. Buy this."

Like your in New Orleans

joseanco | 05/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This takes me back to my childhood when I was allowed to stay up and listen to Pete Fountain on the Tonight Show. I recommend this to anyone who loves jazz, dixieland or just great backround music for a Mardi Gras party. Also, I think this would great for music teachers to use in the classroom to encourage kids to broaden there listening spectrum!"